Shim for insertion between the facing surfaces of two parts

Abstract

The invention relates to a shim for insertion between the facing surfaces of two parts, in which the separation between the parts is variable with position along the facing surfaces. The shim includes sections that are juxtaposed in a direction transverse to the separation, at least some of the sections are strippable shim sections that include a stack of sheets which are adhered to one another by an adhesive. Slits between individual strippable shim sections allow selective removal of sheets from respective sections, altering shim thickness with position along the facing surfaces.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A shim for insertion between facing surfaces of two parts, wherein separation of the facing surfaces varies along the facing surfaces, the shim comprising:
 a plurality of sections, wherein
 the sections are juxtaposed in a juxtaposition direction that extends along the facing surfaces, 
 at least some of the sections are individually strippable shim sections including a plurality of sheets adhered to one another, within each individually strippable shim section, by an adhesive layer, and 
 two adjacent individually strippable shim sections are separated by a slit extending between the two adjacent individually strippable shim sections from upper surfaces of the two adjacent individually strippable shim sections. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The shim according to  claim 1 , including a plurality of slits, wherein
 each slit is located between a respective adjacent pair of individually strippable shim sections, and 
 an upper sheet of each individually strippable shim section, between two of the slits, is removable. 
 
     
     
       3. The shim according to  claim 2 , wherein the slits are milled. 
     
     
       4. The shim according to  claim 2 , wherein the individually strippable shim sections are positioned on a shared base layer and the slits extend to the shared base layer. 
     
     
       5. The shim according to  claim 2 , wherein the slits are inclined relative to the juxtaposition direction. 
     
     
       6. The shim according to  claim 5 , wherein the slits are inclined at an angle in a range from 90° to 30°. 
     
     
       7. The shim according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheets are a material selected from the group consisting of a metal, PET, glass, and carbon fabric. 
     
     
       8. The shim according to  claim 1 , wherein the adhesive is flexible. 
     
     
       9. The shim according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheets have a thickness of approximately one-tenth of one millimeter.